Advanced Sputtering Processes for Films and Materials

Dear Colleagues,

Presently, sputtering is widely used for the deposition of inorganic films (made from metals, alloys, oxides, nitrides, oxynitrides, solid solutions, etc.). This method is often referred to as physical vapor deposition (PVD). One popular method is magnetron sputtering based on an abnormal glow discharge in crossed fields.

This method was developed in the 19th and 20th centuries. In 1831–1835, Michael Faraday discovered a new form of discharge that is stable at low pressure, which was called glow discharge. Subsequently, William Robert Grove (1852) discovered sputtering of the cathode in an abnormal glow discharge. Through the efforts of many researchers, this discovery later led to the emergence of a universal technological instrument that is useful in many technical fields.

In 1990–2020, approximately 86,000 articles were published about the deposition of films by means of sputtering methods. The number of publications about films made from advanced materials continues to grow. They include, for example, high-entropy alloys (such as NbTaMoW or NbTaMoWNx) and 2D materials (for example, dichalcogenides of transition metals).

Currently, various modifications of magnetron sputtering are used to deposit inorganic films; examples include DC magnetron sputtering, RF magnetron sputtering, pulsed DC magnetron sputtering, high-power impulse magnetron sputtering, and reactive magnetron sputtering.  In this case, the magnetron is equipped with a variety of targets. They can be made from metals, their oxides, nitrides or other compounds, as well as from their solid solutions. The magnetron can include a cold or hot target. The deposition of films from solid solutions can be carried out via the joint deposition of targets from several magnetrons or through the deposition of one target of a complex design. Researchers are clearly interested in simulating sputtering processes.

The previous Special Issue entitled "Sputter Deposition/Physical Vapor Deposition (PVD) Materials and Processes" attracted great interest from authors and readers. Therefore, the editors of Materials decided to continue publishing articles on this topic as part of this second Special Issue, “Advanced Sputtering Processes for Films and Materials”.

This Special Issue of Materials presents advanced results obtained in film deposition by means of sputtering methods. The editors are interested in works describing both experimental and modeling results. New sputtering devices and films from new promising materials for electronics, mechanical engineering, nuclear and other industries are in the focus of this Special Issue.

We warmly invite you to submit your manuscript(s) (full papers, communications, or reviews) for publication in this Special Issue entitled “Advanced Sputtering Processes for Films and Materials”.

Prof. Dr. Viktor Shapovalov
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

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• sputtering
• reactive sputtering
• DC magnetron sputtering
• RF magnetron sputtering
• pulsed DC magnetron sputtering
• high-power impulse magnetron sputtering
• cold target
• hot target
• films
• sputtering model